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Hawaiian Vintage Chocolate Offers a Paradise of Taste

Established in 1986, Hawaiian Vintage Chocolate Co. develops and manufactures gourmet varietal and functional chocolates in the U.S. Based in Honolulu, Hawaii, Hawaiian Vintage Chocolate is a public development company (OTC: HWVI). It creates products, brands, and marketing opportunities, using its unique assets.

Mr. Jim Walsh is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Hawaiian Vintage Chocolate. Upon establishing the Company, he set out to create the world’s first variety/Vintage chocolate. Mr. Walsh matched the selected genetics he had collected to the environment of the State of Hawaii. In effect, he was following the model of the California wine industry.

Each year, the Company’s products will contain a different percentage of cocoa beans from Hawaiian Vintage Chocolate’s proprietary cacao genetics developed in Hawaiiand now grown globally. This is because agricultural conditions change from year to year and season to season.

Commercial types of cocoa include Criollo, Forastero, Trinitaio and Hawaiian. Forastero is the most important commercial kind. Forastero produces “bulk” cocoa. Cocoa trees usually start to bear fruit after three years. They can live up to 100 years after maturity.

Mr. Walsh tested different kinds of trees for compatibility with Hawaii’s environment. Subsequently, only a few were selected. These were bred to the ancient ancestors of cacao to create the fourth distinct variety of cocoa called Hawaiian. This was the first new variety in 80 years.

Hawaiian Vintage Chocolate employs a singular farming method. The trees are grown and the crop harvested by removing the ripe pods from the trees. These pods are collected, transported to the fermentary, and then opened. The approximately 40 cocoa beans are removed and placed in an oak fermentary box. These beans are turned each day for five days. This is to remove the raw bitter taste of cocoa and to develop forerunners, which are the elementsof chocolate flavor.

The beans then dry and the Company ages the beans for up to one year. Next, the beans are roasted lightly then ground to a smoothness. They are afterwards conched to make sure all particles are coated with cocoa butter. This is to attain the velvety texture of Hawaiian Vintage Chocolate.